How To Jailbreak iOS 11 – 11.1.2 Using Electra

A publicly available jailbreak solution for iOS 11 has been on the cards for quite a while now, but finally, after several beta releases sans Cydia and a bit of drama involving a leaked developer build, CoolStar’s Electra jailbreak tool has shed its beta tag and is available to download for all, complete with support for Cydia.

Before we move onto guiding you through the new tool’s workings, we want to make sure that you understand what you’re getting into. Electra’s support for Cydia is unofficial, which is to say that Saurik – the man behind Cydia – did not, as is custom, ready the jailbreak store for the new tool himself or update Substrate for iOS 11. The Cydia that comes packaged with Electra uses compatibility layers baked in by CoolStar himself and the aptly named Substitute – developed by Comex – to support installation of tweaks. Saurik has made it clear that future releases and updates pushed by him might not be compatible with Electra, and hence, should be avoided by those opting for the tool.

That said, the tool’s future does seem to be bright, with development going strong, and several popular jailbreak tweaks and apps already having been updated for use with iOS 11. If you’d rather not wait for a Saurik-certified jailbreak solution, you may read on ahead to learn how to jailbreak using Electra.

Procedure

Note: Be sure to perform a full backup of your device over on iCloud or via iTunes on your computer to ensure you do not lose data. Although rare for modern jailbreak tools, mishaps aren’t entirely impossible.

3. Once Cydia Impactor is done installing the Electra jailbreak app, on your iOS device, launch the Settings app and navigate to General > Profiles & Device Management. Here, select the profile added by Electra, and in the screen that follows, select the Trustoption.

Note: As mentioned in our Cydia Impactor guide, unless you use a paid/full Apple Developer ID during the sideload process, you will need to repeat the installation every seven days as certificates associated with free developer accounts expire after a week. You can, however, automate this process using the recently updated Extend3r Installer package available in the Electra iOS Utilities repository.

4. Return to the Home screen and launch Electra.

5. Tap the Jailbreak button.

6. Tap Continue Jailbreak when the app displays an “APFS Snapshot Created” prompt and wait for it to do its thing. This “APFS Snapshot” is essentially meant to offer an easy way back in case you have a change of heart after the jailbreak completes. It will allow you to un-jailbreak your device using the SemiRestore tool – as yet unsupported on iOS 11 – without having to perform a full restore.

Update: SemiRestore 11 Lite is now available to download.

If all goes well, you should see the Cydia icon appear on the Home screen. Congratulations! You are now jailbroken!

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I'm an engineer, blogger, and graphic designer who loves creating and experimenting with different forms of online content when he's not looking for a mix of inspiration and escape in PC gaming, comic books and anime. You can find me on Twitter and Google+.